The present invention relates generally to disposable surgical drapes and is more particularly concerned with a new and improved abrasion resistant nonwoven fenestration sheet material for attachment to a surgical drape and the like.
In recent years, disposable nonwoven materials have found increasingly greater application in hospitals, clinics and other medical facilities. One such disposable item is a surgical drape for covering the patient during an operative procedure. Typically the drape is cut or slit to provide an aperature or fenestration at the operative site. During a surgical procedure it is common practice of the surgeon to place surgical instruments and other implements on the surface of the drape adjacent the fenestration. Unfortunately, the surface of disposable nonwoven drapes will not retain the instruments in the position in which they are placed since the surface generally is too smooth to provide adequate gripping or holding characteristics. It has been suggested that a portion of the drape adjacent the fenestration be provided with a roughened surface, such as by heavy embossing, to prevent instrument slippage. However, such a construction has been found to be unsatisfactory.
To overcome the instrument slippage problem, several surgical drape manufacturers adhesively bond a foam material to the surgical drape at the fenestration area. The foam is usually backed by an impervious film which is adhesively bonded to the main drape material. Although the foam layer has provided substantial improvement with respect to the instrument slippage problem, it is by nature absorbent and tends to capture and retain body fluids immediately adjacent the surgical site. Typical examples of such foam materials can be found in the following U.S. Pat. Nos.: 3,668,050; 3,738,359; 3,763,857; and 3,930,497.
In accordance with the present invention, it has been found that substantially improved instrument retaining or non-skid characteristics can be achieved while eliminating the undesirable absorbency characteristic of the foam layer by replacing the foam with a skid resistant, water repellent layer of non-foam character. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved fluid repellent fenestration sheet material that exhibits an improved frictional resistance to sliding movement of surgical instruments and the like resting thereon.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved non-skid fenestration material of the type described that fully replaces the foam layer with a water repellent fibrous sheet material provided with an abrasion resistant non-skid surface. Included in this object is the provision for a non-skid surface comprised of a random array of minute discrete solid droplets covering a minor portion of the total planar surface area of the fibrous sheet material.
Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out more in detail hereinafter.
These and related objects are achieved in accordance with the present invention by providing a flexible fluid repellent fibrous sheet material well suited to being firmly secured to the top surface of a disposable surgical drape at an operative site fenestration. The fluid repellent sheet is provided with an exposed abrasion resistant non-skid outer surface comprised essentially of a random array of discrete solidified resin droplet particles of a size and character sufficient to effectively resist sliding movement of surgical instruments and the like placed thereon when the fenestration material is inclined at an angle greater than 40.degree. relative to a horizontal plane.
A better understanding of the invention will be obtained from the following detailed description of the article and the desired features, properties, characteristics and relationships of elements set forth in the following description and illustratve embodiment.